Event was held on 23 March at the Federal Parliament of Belgium
On 23 March 2022, the Brussels International Center organized an event in collaboration with Members of Parliament Koen Metsu and Georges D’Allemagne that brought together policymakers, ambassadors, practitioners, and survivors of terrorist attacks in Brussels. The event took stock of major terrorist attacks that took place in Europe in the last years while doing a parallel with terrorist events that affected the Yazidi community in the Middle East.
This event provided a platform to discuss victims-centered approaches current in place in Belgium to support survivors of terrorist-related attacks. “The earlier the appropriate intervention to help victims address the challenges they face, the more resilient they can be” said Aristide Melissas, a survivor of the Hudson River bike lane attack in New York. Complementing Aristide’s statement, MP Georges D’Allemagne said that “A victim-centered approach forms part of a human rights approach to policing, founded upon the fundamental principles of respect, dignity, and equality of all persons.”
The event also hosted a parallel session on crimes committed by the Islamic State against the Yazidi community, including sexual and gender-based violence. During the session, Baba Sheikh Ali Elias Haji, a religious leader of the Yazidi community, made statements about the dire conditions his community is enduring. “The majority of my community is still living in camps, struggling to return to their homes either because of insecurity or lack of restoration efforts” he said.
In concluding, MPs Koen Metsu and Georges D’Allemagne, highlighted the need to build bridges between affected communities in Europe and the Middle East and create pathways for more secure and resilient societies.